Leak detector



April 8, 1952 w. R. BAKER LEAK DETECTOR Filed July 29, 1947 INVENTOR. W/LL/AM Q BAKE/P ATTORNEY Patented Apr. 8, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT GFF-ICE LEAK DETECTOR William'R.'Baker, Berkeley, Calif assignor to the United States of Americaas represented by'the United States Atomic Energy Commission Application July 29, 1947, Serial 'No. 764,519

3 Claims. 11

This iinventionzrelates to-a gas-leak detector and-more'particularlyto a gas-leak detector of the -mass spectrometer type I utilizing an indicator gas to evidence the presence and location of a leakdnan evacuated vessel.

-In the copending application, SerialNo. 758,509 by.;Dr. ,John G. Backus, there is described a vacuum analyzer of :the mass spectrometer type which may be utilized'as a leak detector to locateleaks in the walls of an evacuated vessel. The location and detection of suchleaksis facilitated by movement of an exploratory hose .over theexterior surface of the evacuated vessel undergoingztest while thehose is slowly expelling a jetof-indicator gas such as helium. The vacuum analyzer which comprises an ion generating. source and-a spectrometer chamber positioned within an electromagnetic field, communicates withthe interior of the evacuated vessel undergoingtest and isidependent in its operation upon the gas-molecules present within said vessel. The introductionof indicator gas molecules into the interior through some fissure in the tank envelope, at the approach of the exploratory hose in the vicinity of said fissure, will be evidenced byra sudden increase in the height of the signal peak on the screen of the cathode ray tube corresponding to the indicator gas, thereby indicating .theepresence of a leak at thatposition.

Thepresent invention is an improved gas-leak detector of the Backus type and involves an electric circuit forperiodically directing ions corresponding to the indicator gas onto the ion receiver and for amplifying the resulting periodic current thereby providing a device of great sensitivity. Moreover, the presence of .a gas-leak ascertained by the described exploratory hose technique is, in this invention, evidenced by a meter-indication.

It is, therefore, an object of the invention to provide :a gas-leak detector of great sensitivity to indicate the locations of leaks through the envelopeof .an enclosed vessel such as an evacuatedtank.

A further object of the invention is to provide an electric circuit which will periodically sweep the ion beam corresponding to the indicator gas back and forth across the receiver input slot of a mass spectrometer in synchronism with the operation of a vibrator type intermittent contact switch in such manner that the detected and amplified energy initiated by the ion beam "is available to the metering instrument only while the ion beam is directed through the receiver slot and impinging onto the receiver.

A furtherob'ject ,of the invention is toprovide electrical means for directing ions of a selected mass-to-charge ratio upon the receiver input element.

A further object of the invention is to provide means for shifting the phase of the A. C. component of the ion accelerating voltage'withrespect tothe operation of a vibrator type switch.

Other objectssand advantages of the invention will be apparent .in the following description and claims consideredtogether with the accompanying drawing in which:

Figurel is'a schematic representation of the elements embodying the invention.

Referring'to Fig. l, there-is'illustrated amass spectrometer H! of the Backus type, an ion control voltage supply fiil'and'an'ion current amplifierEiO. The -mass spectrometer Iii is arranged within an evacuated tank H under test. A substantially homogeneous magnetic field having direction normal to the sheet of the drawing passes through the mass spectrometer Ill. The mass spectrometer 10 includes a beam shield l2, an ionsource |3,-and a receiver M. The beam shield l2 has a rectangular cross section in'a plane transverse tothe magnetic field and preferably has a length about twice its width. The shield I2 is provided withend Walls [5a and [5b and side walls 15a and Ic'b. Oneside wall "Ilia of the shield 12 includes'two slots, a source slot I1 and a receiver slot lBeach aligned with the magnetic field, these slots being substantially equally spaced from the respective adjacent end walls l5a and [5b of the shield I 2.

The ion source [-3 is of the cold cathode type and is located externally of the shield l2 adjacent the source slot ll. The ion source I3 comprises a metallic cylindrical anode 20 having a slot 2! therein, said slot being parallel to the axis of cylinder 2%) in substantial register with similarsource slot I? in the shield [2. 'It will be understood that in the schematic representation of the source 13, the latter has been rotated about an axisbisectin'g its longitudinal dimension and normal to its axis. Ion source I3 is also comprised of a pair of cathodes 22, 122 arranged on the axis of the anode 20 and atopposite ends thereof. The two cathodes 22, 22 are electrically connected and are spaced from the anode -25. With this arrangement and with the cathodes Z2, 22 at a potential that is negative relative to the anode '23, free electronsexisting within the ion source 13 accelerate to and fro along the magnetic field between the cathodes 22, 22 and thus ionize neutral gas molecules existingwithin the ion source 13.

Theion receiver hi is arranged externally of and parallel to the sidewall Hill of the beam shield l2 opposite the receiver slot l8 and is insulated from the beam shield l2. Two beam defining plates 23,23 attached to the side walls Ifia and lfib, project inwardly of the shield '12 along the line parallel to the end plates 15a and 15b, midway between the source slot 11 and "the receiver slot 18. These plates 23, '23

define the limits of an ion beam that is projected from the source slot II to the receiver slot I8. The slot 2I of the ion source I3, the two slots I1 and I6 in the shield I2, the beam defining opening 24 in the shield between the plates 23, 23 and the receiver I4 are all arranged at the periphery of a crescent pattern in a common plane transverse to the magnetic field.

The ion control voltage supply 36 includes a rectifier 3| having its input connected across the secondary winding 32 of a step-up supply transformer 33 and its output connected between the anode 26 and the pair of cathodes 22, 22 of the ion source I3, the positive terminal 34 of the rectifier 3| output being connected to the anode 26 and the negative terminal 35 being connected to the cathodes 22, 22.

A variable transformer 36 of conventional type is connected between the primary 31 of the stepup voltage transformer 33 and the A. C. supply 38. A voltmeter 39 'is connected across the output of the rectifier 3|. By adjusting the variable transformer 36 and reading the voltage produced at the output of the rectifier 3| as indicated by the voltmeter 39, ions of selected mass-to-charge ratio are focused upon the receiver I4 as more fully explained hereinafter.

A phase shifting network 46 comprising a condenser 4I and a variable resistance 42 is connected in series across the secondary 32 of the transformer 33. A grounded slider 43 of resistor 42 is connected to the shield I2 causing a fluctuating unidirectional electric field to be produced between the shield I2 and the anode 26. This unidirectional voltage is equal to the sum of the D. C. output of the rectifier 3| and the A. C. potential existing across the portion of the resistor 42 between the cathodes-22, 22 and ground.

The purpose of the phase shifting network will also be more fully described hereinafter.

The amplifier 56 comprises two stages 66 and 96. The first or input stage 66 is a high gain, low time constant D. C. amplifier having a high effective input impedance. The second or output stage 96 is a high gain alternating current amplifier. The input 66 of the amplifier 56 is connected to the ion receiver I4 and the output 96 is applied to a voltmeter 96 which indicates the beam intensity.

The input stage 66 comprises a self-biased high gain pentode 6|, the bias being provided by the potential drop through a cathode resistor 62 which is shunted by a by-pass condenser 59. It also includes a large input resistor 63 connected between the signal grid 64 of the pentode 6| and a junction point 65'at the negative end of the bias resistor 62. It also includes an output resistor 66 connected in series with the bias resistor 62 between said junction point 65 and ground 61. The common junction 68 between the signal grid 64 and the grid input resistor 63 is connected to the ion receiver I4 by means of a conductor 69 passing through a vacuum and electrical insulating seal 66 in the tank wall II. The screen grid I6 of the pentode 6| is connected to the anode II through a dropping resistor I2 and is 4 between the receiver slot I8 of the beam shield I2 and the receiver I4 itself. The second metallic member 71 encloses the pentode 6|, the input resistor 63, the bias resistor 62, the by-pass condenser 59, the screen resistor I2, and the condenser I4. The communicating member II is arranged coaxially withthe conductor 69 connecting the receiver I4 and the signal grid 64. This communicating member I8 and the conductor 69 pass through a seal 86 in the tank wall I I. This seal includes an annular insulating portion 8| arranged between the tank wall II and the communicating member I8 and a second annular insulating portion 82 arranged between this member 1'8 and the conductor 69. The electrostatic shield I5 is electrically connected to the common junction 65 between the input resistor 63, the output resistor 66, and the bias resistor 62.

The output stage 96 comprises first and second triodes 9| and 92 respectively arranged in tandem amplifying relation. The first triode 9| is coupled in conventional manner by means of a condenser 93 to the output resistor 66 of the input stage 66. The second triode 92 is loaded in the cathode circuit by means of a resistor 94. A signal appearing across this resistor 94 is communicated through a condenser 95 to the voltmeter 96.

A vibrator I66 is providedfor periodically shorting out the voltmeter 96. This vibrator I66 is of the type known as a Brown converter which is manufactured by the Minneapolis Honeywell Manufacturing Corporation. It comprises a pair of contacts IIII and I62, one of which, I6I, is mounted upon a pivoted armature I63 in the form of a permanent magnet and also includes an actuating coil I64 and an associated iron core I65, the coil I64 being connected to the source 38 of alternating current power. The polarity of the iron core electromagnet enclosed by the actuating coil I64 alternates at the frequency of the A. C. source voltage. The magnetic fields of the electromagnet and the permanent magnet type armature I63 interact to impart alternating attractive and repulsive forces on the armature with respect to the iron core electromagnet, thereby making and breaking contact points MI and I62 at the frequency of the A. C. source voltage. The pivoted contact I 6| is grounded and the other contact I62 is connected to the junction point between the condenser and the voltmeter 96.

Under the influence of the electric field between the ion source I3 and the shield I2 positive ions are projected from the interior of the ion source I3 through the slot 2| in the anode 26 and through the source slot II in the shield I2 and through the beam defining opening 24 within the beam shield I2 and through the receiver slot I8 in the shield I2 onto the receiver I4, in accordance with the formula:

2J e 2V Where H =strength of the magnetic field;

Vzthe accelerating voltages to which the ions are subjected;

r=the radius of curvature of the paths along which the ions are projected; and

m{e:the mass-to-charge ratio of the positive ions projected along those paths from .the ion source to the receiver.

By adjusting the variable transformer 36 and the position of the slider 43, the ion accelerating field applied between the ion source I3 and the shield I2 is adjusted to such a condition that ions of only a selected .mass-to-charge ratio are focused upon the receiver 14 and the beamr i'neluding these ions is swept backand forthacross the receiver slot [6 by virtue of the A. C. 'component therein. Preferably the magnitudes of the D. C. component and the A. C. component of the ion accelerating field thus produced are so proportioned that the selected ion beam passes through the receiver slot I8 during part of the time and falls upon the Wall ISa of the beam shield l2 during the remaining time, the two times preferably being about equal. In practice the values of the D. C. component and the A. C. component of the ion accelerating voltage are adjusted to such values that a beam of selected ions is swept back and forth over a range having one extremity within the receiver slot 18 in the shield I2 and the other extremity on one side or the other of this slot l8. Thus by adjusting the ion accelerating voltage in the manner described an alternating current is produced through the input resistor 63 of the amplifier 50, of the same frequency as that of the power supply and of an amplitude substantially proportional to the intensity of the selected ion beam. This alternating current potential is amplified in the pentode 6! to produce a higher voltage across the load resistor 66. This amplified voltage is then transmitted through the condenser 93 to the second stage 90 of the amplifier 59 and thence to the voltmeter 95.

By properly adjusting the phase relation of the A. C. component of the ion accelerating voltage to the operation of the vibrator I00, it is possible to cause the contacts Ifil and [02 of the vibrator H!!! to open during the time that ions are striking the receiver [4 and to close when the ions are striking upon the wall lta of the beam shield [2. It has been found that when using a vibrator of the type referred to and an amplifier having substantially no phase shift, a 90 phase shift in the RC combination G3 and 4! will bring the operation of the vibrator iilfl and the beam accelerating voltage into the desired synchronism. When so synchronized the output meter 96 is responsive to the output of the A. C. amplifier 59 during the time that the ion beam is impinging upon the receiver I 4 and is shorted out at other times. By utilizing a voltmeter 96 having a long time constant compared to the period of the alternating currents in question a stationary reading is obtained. It is to be noted that the coupling condenser 95 efiectively blocks any D. C. component of voltage from influencing the meter 96, thus the meter system as disclosed needs no zero adjustment as all drift is eliminated. Thus, by properly synchronizing the vibrator with the mass spectrometer, random frequency signals comprising the background noise are excluded from the meter and the meter by virtue of the long time constant thereof only indicates the summation of the desired signals. By this means a very minute amount of a particular element may be detected by the apparatus without regard to the magnitude of extraneous signals arising either in the mass spectrometer itself or in the circuits associated therewith.

The arrangement described has the advantage of being simple and compact and of providing high ion beam amplification and a high signal to noise ratio.

Although this invention has been described with reference to a particular embodiment'thereof, it is not limited to this embodiment nor other- Wiseexcept by the terms of the following claims.

What is claimed is:

l. A leak detector comprising a mass spectrometer including an ion generating source, said source being disposed opposite an ion access aperture positioned in the ion bafiie surface of said spectrometer, an ion beam receiver positioned opposite an ion egress aperture in said bailie surface, an amplifier connected to said receiver and having at its output an indicator, means whereby an ion beam of said spectrometer is caused to sweep periodically back and forth along said baflie surface and across said ion egress aperture, said beam thereby periodically impinging upon said receiver, a shunt circuit about said indicator, and means in said shunt circuit for opening and closing said circuit in synchronism with said periodically impinging ion beam, whereby said indicator is rendered operative and inoperative in synchronism with said beam.

2. A leak detector comprising a mass spectrometer including an ion generating source, said source and an ion receiver being disposed opposite an ion access aperture in the ion baflie surface of said spectrometer, an amplifier connected to said receiver, an indicator connected to said amplifier output, a source of line voltage having a high voltage power supply connected thereto for applying to the anode of said ion source a resultant voltage having a D. C. potential which is positive in sign relative to said spectrometer and includes also an A. C. voltage component, whereby the ion beam is periodically swept across the receiver, phase shift means for varying the phase of said A. C. voltage component relative t1 said line voltage an amount equal to the time lag between the ion beam emerging from the ion source and the corresponding output signal from the receiver amplifier, a shunt circuit about said indicator, and disconnect means in said shunt circuit synchronized with said source of line voltage, whereby said shunt circuit is opened and the meter thus rendered operative only when the output from said amplifier is the amplified signal from the ion beam impinging upon said receiver.

3. A leak detector comprising a mass spectrometer including an ion generating source and an ion receiver, said source being disposed opposite an ion access aperture in the ion baffle of said spectrometer, an amplifier connected to said receiver, a meter having a long time constant for indicating the current at said receiver, a shunt circuit connected about said meter, a vibrator connected in said shunt circuit, a source of A. C. voltage, means connecting said A. C. voltage source to said vibrator whereby said indicator is periodically short circuited by said shunt circuit in synchronism with said A. C. voltage, a voltage transformer connected to said A. C. voltage source for producing a high voltage, a rectifier connected to said transformer for converting said A. C. high voltage to D. C. high voltage, means connecting said rectifier between said ion source and said ion baflie surface to accelerate ions from said source, an adjustable phase shift network connected to said transformer for shifting the phase thereof an amount equal to the time lag between ions expelled from said source and current received at said indicator, means for applying an adjustable fraction of said phase shifted A. C. voltage between said ion source and said ion bafiie surface whereby a predetermined ion beam from said ion source periodically impinges said receiver, and said indicator is synchronously rendered operative and inoperative to indicate only ions of a predetermined masscharge ratio impinging said receiver.

WILLIAM R. BAKER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

8 UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Number Name Date Brolly Aug. 22, 1933 Lehde June 30, 1942 Langmuir Mar. 6, 1945 Hoskins et a1 July 31, 1945 Liston May 25, 1948 Langmuir Dec. 28, 1948 FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date Great Britain Nov. 27, 1936 

